Shell will supply liquefied natural gas at about 100 TravelCenters of America sites and Petro Shopping Centers in the US beginning in 2013. According to the memorandum of understanding, Shell will construct more than 200 LNG fuel lanes for heavy-duty trucks throughout the US interstate highway system. Last year, Shell announced it would sell LNG to its heavy-duty fleet customers at select Flying J truck stops in Alberta, Canada beginning in 2012.
Nissan has launched the Nissan Zero Emission Fund for EV owners in Japan. Under the program, Nissan converts Leaf owners’ driving distance to a credit that recognizes the CO2 emissions offset by driving the all-electric car. Total annual CO2 credits will then be sold to the Green Innovation Promotion Organization, and profits earned by the sale of the credits will be used to install quick-charging facilities and fund forest conservation.
Nissan has lowered the Leaf lease price to as low as $289 a month and is issuing refunds for unused deposits, AutoblogGreen reports. Originally, Nissan set the Leaf lease prices at $349 a month for 36 months. It now costs $289 a month for SV trim or $319 for the upscale SL model. The lease term is now 39 months, and the initial payment has risen from the original $1,999 to $2,999.
Heavy-duty transit bus manufacturer New Flyer has delivered 20 compressed natural gas public transit buses (pictured) using the new Xcelsior platform to southern California’s Culver City Bus. The CNG buses, which cost about $11 million, have all-electric HVAC systems and all-electric engine cooling systems. Culver City Bus currently operates 52 transit buses, all of them CNG-powered and manufactured by New Flyer.
Toyota will introduce an ultracompact two-seater electric vehicle in Japan priced at less than ¥1 million, or $12,600, Green Car Congress reports. The new COMS EV is based on Toyota’s COMS single-seater EV, which was sold from 2000 to 2011.
A $6 gallon of gas would make most Americans reconsider gas-guzzling cars, according to a video posted by Honda. The automaker polled 1,000 Americans and found that while 30 percent of respondents would actively seek out a more fuel-efficient car if gas hit $5 a gallon, 62 percent would do the same if gas hit $6 a gallon. Additionally, 37 percent said electricity would be the primary source of vehicle power 20 years from now; 19 percent said gasoline and another 19 percent said biofuels are the fuel of the future.